NHL Playoffs odds, picks: Expert predictions for Lightning vs. Panthers and Stars vs. Golden Knights

Mikhail Sergachev broke his tibia and fibula less than 90 days ago at Madison Square Garden. It was one of those brutal injuries that you don’t want to see a replay of and the type of injury that leaves a twinge of doubt if the player will ever be 100 percent again after it.

Sergachev returned to the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup on Saturday afternoon, played 17 minutes, made an assist and helped Tampa Bay stay alive in its first-round series against cross-state rival Florida with a 6-3 win. Sergachev had been skating with the team, but it just seemed impossible that he’d return from that type of injury so quickly. And that’s what made Saturday’s return all the more emotional.

The Lightning were outplayed and outclassed in the first three games of the series, especially on the defensive end of the ice where injuries have made depth an issue controlling the Panthers lineup that goes four-lines deep. Now, Tampa Bay returns to Sunrise hoping to pull off another win and send the game back to Tampa Bay for a Game 6.

Monday’s Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule is a light one with the Panthers looking to eliminate the Lightning and the Dallas Stars looking to even up their series with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Odds are from BetMGM and update live. Buy tickets to see your favorite team on StubHub.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers — Game 5

How to watch: 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, SN

Panthers lead series 3-1

Series odds: Panthers -1600, Lightning +900

• Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is an unrestricted free agent after this season. He leads Tampa Bay with five goals and an assist in the playoffs.
• Nikita Kucherov — who led the NHL in points during the regular season — has six assists, but no goals in the series and has been visibly frustrated by the Panthers’ attempts to shut him down.
• Matthew Thachuk and Carter Verhaeghe continue to lead the way for the Panthers in the playoffs. Each has three goals in four games so far in this series.
• Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored his first goal of the playoffs Saturday and continues to be an important part of the Panthers’ defensive core.
• No team since the 2014 Los Angeles Kings has won a series that it trailed 3-0 in and it has only been accomplished four times in NHL history. Only nine teams have forced a series to a deciding Game 7.

Dallas Stars at Vegas Golden Knights — Game 5

How to watch: 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, SN

Knights lead series 2-1

Series odds: Stars +160, Knights -200

• Has Wyatt Johnson figured out Vegas goalie Logan Thompson? Johnson scored two goals in Saturday’s Game 3 win on the road, including the game-winning goal in overtime. Thompson made 43 saves in the loss.
• Dallas built a 2-0 lead but eventually blew that lead which led to the overtime heroics from Johnson. Saturday was a must-win game for the Stars, who led the Western Conference with 113 points in the regular season but lost both games at home to start their playoff run.
• Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson continue to lead the Stars with four points apiece through three games so far in this series.
• Jack Eichel scored the game-tying goal on Saturday and leads the Knights with five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in these playoffs. Eichel led all scorers in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 26 points.

(Photo of Mikhail Sergachev and Aleksander Barkov: Rich Storry / Getty Images)